First Blog of my Life!
Contact:Tsundheim1@my.dom.edu
Cell: 847-722-5403
Who am I:
Hi, I'm Taylor or as my students refer me, Mr. Sundheim or Mr. Sun. I am a second-year 9th grade World Studies teacher at a Chicago Public School on the south-side. I am a proud and grateful graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Teaching of Social Sciences Program. You may not believe this but I am having the time of my life, learning how to engage the students in this new remote world.
I was prepared for the change in my previous life experience. Even though I was raised in the northern suburbs of Chicago and found myself practicing in remote jungles of Thailand; an austere form of Theravada Buddhism with the Ajahn Chah tradition.
I loved the jungle, walking barefoot to collect food every morning, living in a monastic collective that valued communal resources, and their elders. There was adversity: mosquitoes, hierarchy, snakes, culture clashes, yet all and all, it was the greatest experience I will ever know. The central teaching of the temple was: accept change and make the best of it. The irony is, the 227 precepts the monastics agree to uphold haven't been changed for 2500 years. Yet these rules create an empowering environment to deal with transformation. Besides living in the Forest Temples of Thailand I have worked for Greenpeace, Misericordia, Sunrise Assisted Living, and an outdoor Educator for YMCA Camp Orkila. But nothing comes close ( besides the temples) to the joys of teaching.
This year, I have the honor of being the English Language Program Teacher of my school. I over-see the language services of over 20 students, many of which speak Spanish. Luckily, I have lived in Mexico for 4 months and picked up enough of the language to really help my students. I work alongside, an amazingly gifted English teacher, to co-teach an ESL 1 and 2 sheltered English class. Every day, I have to create lessons that engage the social-emotional, creative, and analytical sides of my students. I ask myself a question: does this matter? Are the things I am teaching my students relevant? Luckily, I have the resources to take EDU 790 and learn some amazing skills with some incredibly gifted educators!
As you can see in my Facebook Profile, I don't use social media as much as I should, perhaps. I scroll to laugh at Tiktok videos and post politically important posts on Instagram. Facebook and I haven't interacted much but I am open to future collaborations. Let's see.
Hi Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI work on the Southside of Chicago for Chicago Public Schools as well! I am a special education blended PreK teacher! I am also middle school endorsed in social science but I only co-taught in 7th grade social studies and ELA for a year and a half and for the past 6 years have been in preschool! Thailand is on the top of my bucket list as a must-visit country, I have heard so many wonderful thing about the country!
I know how that goes with the bilingual/ESL students, I was in the bilingual PreK for 3 years and picked up enough conversational Spanish to get me through the day with my little learners! One of our main focuses in preschool is their Social/Emotional learning needs and we are lucky enough to have CALM classroom, Second Step SEL, as well as mindful practice, where we get live remote-instruction with a Yoga instructor once a week! My students as well as myself love it! It definitely makes a huge difference in our learning (remote and in-person) instruction!
Hi Sarah, I want Calm Classroom too! We do a positive thought of the day before they leave class ( but I haven't been as consistent as I like lately). It's fun working with ESL students but I wish our school hired more staff to support our population. Have a great night!
DeleteHello, Taylor. Thank you for a very interesting introduction to who you are. I like the philosophy of making the best of change. I taught in CPS for 25 years and for many of those the environment wasn't always healthy so having a positive attitude helped. In terms of social media there is no "set amount" that you should strive to have. If what you have works for you that is all that matters. Looking forward to learning with you this spring.
ReplyDeleteHi Professor!
Delete25 Years! Wow! I know how CPS is, total ups and downs! Thanks for the response and excited to apply the learning to my classroom during this course!
Hi Taylor,
ReplyDeleteLet me first say that I can relate with you on a few things that you wrote on your blog. I also did my first blog ever. I found it to be fun and challenging at the same time. I also do not use a lot of social media. I used it a long time ago and found it troubling. As far as teaching goes, I often ask myself those same questions. Does it matter what I am doing? Is it relevant? I say yes to both questions. I think our students need our help now more than ever. Don't you agree?
Yes, I agree! I just hope I can remember to keep asking those questions😅
DeleteOh my gosh, hi Taylor! I saw your name on the assignment tracker and I just said to myself, "I recognize this name!" I was in the same program with you at UIC. I remember student teaching with you at the same time in the Spring of 2019, and being in that once a week class on Wednesdays with Julie, Jeremy, Isabel, and the rest. It's so great to see what you have done not just since then, but even before that. I catch myself asking the same question you posed at the end too. A lot of it is imposter syndrome yes, but it's because we genuinely care about our students and if it's timely. I'm glad to learn all of these resources 790 has to offer alongside you.
ReplyDeleteWhat's up, Brenda!!! What you been up to?! I miss the innocent days of UIC and preparing lessons for Julie's class! I miss you and Jeremy, and Isabel!!! I want an update! I hope you are well and excited to take this course with you!
DeleteHi Taylor!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to meet you! Your journeys around the world seemed to really impact your life in a positive way. Your experiences will add to the connections you make with your students, to provide them with more opportunities to learn!